Chapter 1. By Hearsay -- Chapter 2. Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre -- Chapter 3. William Henry Fox Talbot -- Chapter 4. The debate on photography -- Chapter 5. In parliament and academy -- Chapter 6. Daguerre's historical and descriptive account -- Chapter 7. First judgments -- Chapter 8. Alfred Donné -- Chapter 9. Satires -- Chapter 10. The future of photography.
Summary:
"An exact date for the invention of photography is evasive. Scientists and amateurs alike were working on a variety of photographic processes for much of the early nineteenth century. Thus most historians refer to the year 1839 as the "first" year of photography, not because the sensational new medium was invented then, but because that is the year it was introduced to the world. After more than 175 years, and for the first time in English, First Exposures: Writings from the Beginning of Photography brings together more than 130 primary sources from that very year--1839--subdivided into ten chapters and accompanied by fifty-three images of significant visual and historical importance."--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.